Rolls-Royce today announced that the company has been awarded an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ), multi-year contract by the U.S. Air Force. The contract supports ongoing development activity with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) program, Versatile Affordable Advanced Turbine Engines (VAATE) Phase II/III. The contract provides a potential value of $185 million over its term, if exercised, and will be handled by Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc. (LibertyWorks®).

Phil Burkholder, Chief Operating Officer for LibertyWorks, said: “We are pleased to be part of the team progressing propulsion technology into VAATE II. The envisioned technologies aim to provide significant capability improvements to military propulsion systems and it is exciting to be working with the AFRL to help turn that vision into a reality. LibertyWorks will continue to develop advanced propulsion technologies under this contract to include Adaptive Versatile Engine Technology (ADVENT), Highly Efficient Embedded Turbine Engine (HEETE), and other VAATE II technologies.”

VAATE is a joint effort with industry, Department of Defense (DoD), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and Department of Energy (DOE) focused on a ten-fold increase in turbine engine affordable capability by 2017. VAATE focuses on new, game-changing propulsion technologies that will optimize the capabilities, such as higher altitude and longer endurance applications, of the aircraft and maximize mission success.